We recently had an interview with Alex Stahlmann of Studio Low Five. If you’re interested in learning about how our show started and our experience in podcasting, feel free to check it out below! (Originally published here.)
Inspiring Achievement
Alex & Quinn Schulte, Podcasters | A Couple of Characters
What’s your background with D&D?
Alex and I started playing Dungeons & Dragons back in 2015, right after 5th edition came out. He was in Iowa for grad school and I was finishing my undergrad degree in Minnesota, and we thought it would be a fun hobby for us to do together long-distance. After we made our first characters, we fell in love with the games and have been playing regularly ever since.
What is “A Couple of Character’s” origin story?
While long distance, we talked on the phone almost every day, one of Alex’s favorite things to talk about was new D&D character ideas he had. We would then spend the rest of the call writing backstories for these characters that we rarely ended up playing. Since we had so much fun doing that, we thought it would be fun to share these quirky characters and their backstories with the world. And so A Couple of Characters was born. Once we started living together, we bought some equipment and started recording some episodes. And at the time, there were no other podcasts like that. Most D&D podcasts are actual plays or tips/advice for Dungeon Masters.
What do you love most about producing a podcast?
I love the challenge of editing the raw audio in the most concise and compelling way. Alex has loved getting the opportunity to meet other creators in the tabletop role playing game community. It’s also give us a place to workshop new game mechanic ideas we have, such as sub classes, ancestral traits instead of races, as well as a new class.
What’s the most challenging part about producing a podcast?
For me, it’s recognizing that I can’t make every episode perfect, and that it is more important to put out a good quality episode on time. For Alex, it is sometimes challenging to bring the energy required to make an episode people will want to listen to.
Tell me about one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve had regarding “A Couple of Characters”.
For me, it’s getting reviews and emails from listeners. I love seeing how our show has inspired other gamers. For Alex, it’s seeing how we shape a story from a single, simple idea. For example, we made a character that wanted to write a vampire musical and another where our only idea was their name.
Who are the people that have inspired you along the way?
I have been inspired by Brea and Mallory from the “Reading Glasses” podcast because they focus on giving advice, and I think we spend a lot of time giving advice on how to make compelling characters. Alex has been inspired by Matt Mercer from Critical Role for his incredible storytelling ability and the McElroys for showing that making a podcast can be a lot of fun.
What advice would you give to folks who might be thinking of starting their own podcast?
Come up with an idea that won’t be too limiting. Like for us, we don’t limit ourselves to a single role playing game or only making characters. Figure out what makes your voice unique in whatever your topic is. Be yourself.
Start doing it. You won’t be very good at first, but you’ll figure it out as you go along and get better.
Are you able to share a little bit about Alex’s book?
In addition to working on the podcast, and working full time, Alex has spent the remainder of his free time working on a fantasy novel.
What happens when two gnomes overhear a wizard giving a farm boy a quest and decide they can probably do that quest better? The premise is a high fantasy novel following the chosen gnomes and the adventurers who join them along the way as they try to save the world, but with a bit of humor mixed in. The feel is Good Omens meets Lord of the Rings. Some of the characters were inspired by D&D characters that Alex has played.
Alex is currently in the editing process, as well as having sensitivity readers look at the book. He’s hoping to start talking with publishers in the next 6 months.
Anything else you’d like to add?
If people want to check out our podcast, but are not familiar with the rules of role playing games or 5th edition D&D in particular, we recommend starting with episodes 14 through 17 for an intro to D&D and role playing games, as we as character creation in episode 17.
A Couple of Characters
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more!
www.acoupleofcharacterspodcast.com
Support the show at www.patreon.com/acocpodcast
Twitter: @ACoCPodcast
Instagram: @acocpodcast
Alex’s Twitter: @AlexNWinterland
Quinn’s Twitter: @NotADoctorQuinn
Quinn’s Instagram: @notadoctorquinn